A MAN suffered a bleed in the brain after being put on anti-coagulant drugs, a coroner has heard.

Paul Johnston, aged 67, from Holden Lea, Westhoughton, died in the Salford Royal Hospital on March 11 having been admitted the day before.

At the opening of an inquest into his death at Bolton Coroner’s Court, acting senior coroner Alan Walsh was told that the retired CCTV operator had been taking Apixaban, a drug which helps prevent blood clots following heart surgery in October last year.

But on March 10 he was admitted to hospital with weakness on his left side and a CT scan showed a bleed on the brain.

Police coroner’s officer Neil McCaffrey told Mr Walsh how, despite efforts to save him, his condition declined and he died early the following morning.

His cause of death was given as intra-cerebral haemorrhage due to Apixaban.

The inquest was adjourned for a further hearing provisionally to take place on July 3 and Mr Walsh ordered that reports should be provided by the hospital, Mr Johnston’s GP, the anti-coagulation clinic and from Greater Manchester Police.

“The reason for the diary date is because, at this stage, we are not sure whether courts will be open or not,” said Mr Walsh.

He added that, in light of the coronavirus crisis, all ongoing inquests will continue to be monitored.

“I personally will be reviewing all files on a weekly basis to try and assess whether these matters will indeed be heard with a full court or whether any of these inquest may well be documentary inquests in the absence of witnesses and in the absence of families,” said Mr Walsh.